Cash register



Nov; 19, 1929. w. c. BROWN CASH REGISTER Filed April 25, 1924 gw uento'o William C. Brown attoxwqo Patented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES WILLIAM C. BROWN, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND PATENT OFFICE CASH REGISTER Application filed April 25, 1924. Serial No. 708,939.

This invention relates generally to cash registers, and more particularly to the mechanism thereof which prints the consecutive number. It is shown applied to a machine of the type shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,619,? 96 granted to Bernis M. Shipley, on March 1, 1927, and reference may be made thereto for a complete description of this machine. It is not intended, however, to limit the invention to the 'form in which it is shown herein, as it has many other adaptations. The principal object of this invention is to provide a control mechanism which is capable of disabling the consecutive number actuating mechanism, either for a single operation or for a plurality of operations.

With this and incidental objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in appended claims and a preferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference I to the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification.

Of said drawings: @Fig. 1 is a detail front elevation of the consecutive number driving mechanism and the Fig. 3 is a detail View of the total lever plate and the meanswhereby this plate disables the consecutive number drive.

General description .Most machines of the type shown and described in the above mentioned patent are provided with COHSBCUtIVG number printing wheels which are adapted to print the consecutive number on a plurality of printing .,mediums. In the machine of the patent referred to, the consecutive number printing wheels are g ven one step of movement on every adding operation of the machine, thereby settingup the next consecutive number thereon Means are provided in sald ma- -chine for disabling the consecutive number actuating mechanism on total-taking operations. The invention herein disclosed provides means for operating this disabling mechanism on any desired adding operation. Said mechanism is controlled by a manually movable lever which has two positions of adjustment. lVhen moved to either of these positions it will actuate the disabling mechanism. Said lever is latched in either of the positions to which it may be moved, and in one of said positions it will be automatically released at the end of the next succeeding operation, while in the other position it will remain latched until manually released.

Consecutive number type wheels As shown in the above referred to patent, there are two rods 30 and 31 upon which are freely mounted a plurality of consecutive number type wheels 32 and 33 respectively. These type wheels have notches formed therein with which a plurality of driving gears 34 are adapted to cooperate. Each of the gears 34 cooperates with a type wheel 32 on the upper rod 30 and also with a corresponding type wheel 33 on the lower rod 31, and operates both of these type wheels simultaneously. T he gears 34 are loosely mounted on a sleeve 35, which is supported by a rod 36 projecting from a printer frame 37 (Fig. 1).

Secured to each of the gears 34 is a ratchet 38 which is normally held against movement by a spring-pressed retaining pawl 39. Also cooperating with the ratchets 38 is a multitined pawl 40 fast on a rod 41 carried by a y he 42, pivotally supported by the rod 36. The means for transferring from lower to iigher orders is of the deep-notch variety, which is so old and well known that no description thereof will be given herein.

Integral with the yoke 42 is a segment 43 meshing with the teeth of a segment gear 44 fast on a shaft 45 projecting from the frame 37. Also fast on this shaft is an arm 46 pivoted to a link 47 which at its lower end has a notch 48 cooperating with a pin 49 carried by a lever 50 fast on a shaft 51. The shaft 51 is given first a counterclockwise and then a clock-wise rotation on every operation of the machine, and with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1 it is clear that the link 47 will be moved downwardly, when the lever 50 is moved counter clockwise. This movement of the link 47 rocks the arm 46, shaft 45 and segment gear 44 clockwise. The yoke 42 will therefore be rocked counter-clockwise a sufiicient distance for the driving pawl 40 to move the units ratchet wheel 38 one step. As the lever 50 returns to its normal position the link 47 will be raised and the driving pawl will be returned to the position shown in Fig. 1.

DisabZz'ng consecutive number actuator by total Zeoe'r Since it may be undesirable to print a consocutive number when a totalis being taken, mechanism is provided for automatically disabling the consecutive number actuator whenever the total lever is moved out of its adding position. This mechanism is shown and described in the above mentioned patent, and therefore the description thereof herein will be brief. As is well known, machines of this type are provided with a total lever 60 (Fig. having a plate 61 pivotally mounted on a stud 62. Pivoted to this plate is a link 63, which at its lower end is pivoted to an arm 64, fast to a spiral segment 66. Meshing with-the segment 66 is a spiral pinion 67 fast on a shaft 68 supported by the frame 37. Also fast on the shaft 68 is a segment 69 (Figs. 1 and 3), which cooperates, with a roller 7 0 carried on the right hand end of a pitman 71. The pitman 71 is pivotally connected near its right hand end to a bell crank lever 72 and at its left hand end, is bifurcated and cooperates with a pin 73 projecting from the frame 37. The pitman 71 also has a slot 74 formed therein, through which projects a pin 75 carried by the link 47. Vv ith the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1 the link 47 may be moved first down and then up without any interference from the pitman 71.

If, however, the total lever 60 is moved out of its normal adding position (Fig. 3) in either direction, the link 63 will rock the arm 64 and spiral segment 66 either clockwise or counter-clockwise, and this movement through the spiral gear 67 and shaft 68 will rock the segment 69 either counter-clockwise or clockwise, depending upon in which direction the total lever is moved. Vhen the segment 69 is given this movement, the pitman 71 will be forced toward the left due to the engagement of the roller 70 with the periphery of the segment, and as the pin 7 5 on the link 47 projects through the slot 74 in the pitman 71., the movement of the-pitman toward the left will carry the link 47 with it. The link 47 has a notch 78 formed therein which will then cooperate with the stationary pin 73. The notch 48, which is normally in engagement with the pin 49 of the driving lever 50, will be disengaged fom said pin, and therefore, when the lever 50 is given its counterclockwise and clockwise movement, the link 47 will not be moved and the consecutive number type wheels will not be turned.

Key-operated means for disabling consecuti've n/wmber Means is also provided for disabling the consecutive number by means of a manually operated lever key. The bell crank 72 which supports the right hand end of the pitman 71 (Fig. l) carries a pin 80 which projects heneath a shoulder 81 of a vertically movable pitman 82. Atits lower end this pitman is bifurcated and embraces a short shaft 83 on which the bell crank lever 72 is mounted. At its upper end the pitnian 82 is also bifurcated and embraces a pin 84 carried by aprojecting portion of the frame 37. Also pivoted centrally on the pin 84 is a lever 85 carrying at its left hand end a pin 86 cooperating with a shoulder 87 formed on the pitman 82. Neal its right hand end the lever 85 carries a pin 88 cooperating with a shoulder 89 also formed on the pitman 82. The right hand end of the lever is bifurcated and embraces a pin 90 carried by a lever 91 which is pivoted on a pin 92 carried by a projecting portion of the frame 37. The lever 91 carries apin 93 which projects through a slot 94 in a key 95. The key is held in its normal upper position, as shown in Fig. 1, by means of a spring '96 stretched between a pin 97 on the key and the pin 93 carried by the lever 91.

The key is adapted to be rocked either clockwise or counter-clockwise about the pin 92, as seen in Fig. 1. hen the key is rocked clockwise, the lever 91 will also be rocked clockwise, which, through the slot and pin connection will rock the lever 85 counterclockwise, thereby lowering the pitman 82 through the engagement of the pin-86 with the shoulder 87. As the pitman 82 is lowered, its shoulder 81 by its contact with the pin 80 will rock the bell crank lever 72 clockwise, thereby moving the pitman 71 toward the left and disengaging the slot 48 from the pin 49, as above described, to-disable the consecutive number wheel actuating mechanism.

If the key 95 is moved toward the left, or counter-clockwise, as seen in Fig. 1, the lever 91 will be rocked counter-clockwise and the lever 85 clockwise, thereby causing the pin 88 to lower the link 82 to accomplish the results above described.

It is evident from the above description that the movement of the key 95 in either direction will disable the consecutive number wheel actuating mechanism. It is sometimes desirable to disable the consecutive number printing mechanism for a particular operation, and have the mechanism resume its operative condition on the next operation of the machine without any further attention from the operator. On the otherhand it may be necessary to disable the consecutive number feeding mechanism throughout a plurality of operations.

If the first condition noted above arises, the key 95 is moved toward the left, as seen in Fig. 1. On its lower end the lever 91 has a shoulder 100. A spring-pressed pawl 101 is loosely mounted on a stud 102 adjacent to the lower end of the lever 91, and normally rests against an edge 99 on said lever. The radius of the shoulder 100, from the center of the pin 92, is less than the radius of the edge 99, and when the key 95 is moved to the left, and the lever 91 rocked counter-clockwise, as above described, the pawl 101 will be rocked counter-clockwise by the spring 98 and will engage the shoulder 100 and hold the key in its moved position. Near the end of the operation it is desired to release the key 95 and permit the consecutive number wheel actuating mechanism to resume its operative condition, and therefore means is provided to automatically release the key 95. Fast on a shaft 103 is an arm 104, which is adapted to cooperate with a tail 105 integral with the pawl 101 when the pawl is in contact with the shoulder 100. The shaft 103, as can be seen in the above mentioned patent, is the one which operates the rack alining mechanism, and said shaft, therefore, is given a counter-clockwise and then a clockwise movement on every operation of the machine. lVhen the pawl 101 is in its normal position, in contact with the edge 99, the arm 104 will not strike the tail 105. On the counter-clockwise movement of the shaft 103 the arm 104 will strike the tail 105 and rock the pawl 101 clockwise away from the shoulder 100, thereby permitting the parts to resume the positions shown in Fig. 1.

If it is desired to disable the consecutive number wheel actuating mechanism throughout a plurality of operations of the machine, the key 95 is moved toward the right, as seen in Fig. 1, thus rocking the lever 91 clockwise as above described. A lug 108 on the lever 91 rocks the pawl 101 clockwise, but as said lug passes off the pawl, the spring 98 rocks the pawl 101 counter-clockwise into contact with a shoulder 106 formed on the lever 91. It can be seen from Fig. 1 that when the nose of the pawl 101 co-operates with this shoulder the pawl will have the same relation with the arm 104 that it has when the key 95 is in its nor- I mal position because the radius of the shoulder 106, from the center of the pin 92, is the same as the radius of the edge 99. Therefore, when the arm 104 is rocked, no movement will be given the pawl 101 and the key will be held in its moved position.

When it is desired to release this key 95 and restore the consecutive number wheel actuating mechanism to its operative condition all that is necessary is to move the key 95 downwardly. At its lower end the key 95 has a projection 107 which, if the key is moved downwardly while the pawl is behind the shoulder 106, will engage the end of the pawl and rock it clockwise far enough to disengage this pawl from the shoulder 106, thereby releasing the key 95, and permitting the parts to be returned to their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1.

lVhile the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a consecutive counter, actuating means therefor, a movable lever adapted when moved in one direction to disable said actuating means for a single adding operation and when moved in the opposite direction to disable said actuating means throughout a plurality of adding operations.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of consecutive number feeding mechanism, a manually movable lever having two positions of adjustment in either one of which the lever will disable said mechnanism, a single means for latching said lever in either of its adjusted positions, and means operating on said single means to auto1natically release said lever from one of said positions.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of consecutive number feeding mechanism, a manually movable lever having two positions of adjustment in either one of which the lever will disable said mecha nism, a single means for latching said lever in either of its adjusted positions,-means operating on said single means to automatically release said lever from one of said positions, and means carried by the manually movable lever and operating on said single means for releasing said lever at will.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a consecutive numbering mechanism, a pawl for actuating said mechanism, a link for driving said pawl, a lever for driving said link, a laterally movable member connected to said link, a bell crank lever pivoted to said member, a pitman cooperating with said bell crank, a centrally pivoted arm, two pins carried by said arm and adapted when said arm is rocked in either direction to contact with and lower said pitman in order to disable the consecutive number actuating mechanism, and means for rocking said arm.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a consecutive numbering mechanism, a pawl for actuating said mechanism, a link for driving said pawl, a lever for driving said link, a laterally movable member connected to said link, a bell crank lever pivoted to said member, a pitman cooperating with said bell crank, a centrally pivoted arm, two pins carried by said arm and adapted when said arm is rocked in either direction to contact with and lower said pitman in order to disable the consecutive number actuating mechanism, anda pivoted lever adapted when moved in either direction to rock said arm.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a controlling member capable of two positions of adjustment, a holding pawl, shoulders on said member cooperating with said pawl .to hold said member in either position of adjustment, and means operable during an operation of the machine to release said pawl when engaged with one of said shoulders, but inefliective to release said pawl when engaged with the other of said shoulders.

7 In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pivoted lever, shoulders on said lever located different distances from the pivot of said lever, a pawl adapted to cooperate with either shoulder, means operable during an operation of the machine for releasing the pawl from one of said shoulders, and manipulative means for releasing said pawl from the other of said shoulders.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combinationof a pivoted lever, shoulders on said lever located different distances from the pivot of said lever, a pawl adapted to co operate with either shoulder, means operable during an operation of the machine for releasing the pawl from one of said shoulders,

and a manipulative member slidably moun 7 ed on said lever and adapted to operate said lever and to release said pawl from either of the shoulders on said lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature IVILLIAM C. BROWN. 

